Odisha to move to Supreme Court challenging Hi-Tech admission

After due deliberation, Odisha Government today decided to file three Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) in the Supreme Court of India challenging the intake of 100 MBBS students at the Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital in Rourkela this year.

As per reports, three separate entities of the State Government would file these three SLPs on Monday.

“The college authorities went ahead with the admission without the knowledge of OJEE or government. This is invalid as per Odisha Professional Education Act. We have consulted with the Law Department and there are certain instructions. We will take actions accordingly,” said OJEE chairman Tusar Kumar Nath.

As per sources, the OJEE (Odisha Joint Entrance Examination) authorities will file the SLP as the college authorities, instead of calling the AIPMT rank holders for admission, illegally conducted a special entrance test on their own without informing the OJEE and the state government. Similarly, the Skill Development and Technical Education department will file another SLP for violating ‘Odisha Professional Education Act’. The Health department would file the third SLP in the apex court regarding the violation of Medical Council of India (MCI) norms in admission.

Making things worse for the college authorities, the Government has also asked the Health and Family Welfare Department to cancel the registration of students who have taken admissions at the Rourkela based college. Besides, OJEE authorities would file a review petition in the High Court, which had asked MCI to allow the college authorities to take admissions as per the OJEE counselling process and intimate the students accordingly.

“We can take students ate college level and JEE level. This is in line with the order of the High Court. We had conducted an entrance examination and have gone ahead with the admission as per merit,” said a defiant Hi-Tech Group Chief Tirupati Panigrahy.

Notably, the MCI had barred the college for taking admissions citing lack of infrastructure this year. The college authorities, however, challenged the decision in the High Court challenging the MCI order.